


The Rescue

by Coryphefish



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Light Angst, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 07:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2843210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coryphefish/pseuds/Coryphefish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ominous messenger brings Hawke a troubling token, a scribbled address, and an implied ultimatum.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

She could hear the knock from across the house. The items on her desk even rattled slightly. A minute or so later, Bodahn came to find her.

"Messere?" His voice was slightly unnerved. "Someone to see you."

Marian Hawke lowered her quill pen, overturned the half-finished letter to Bethany, and followed the dwarf downstairs. 

The armored man standing on her doorstep was wearing the familiar sword-and-sunburst crest of the Templar Order. And the familiar self-satisfied sneer.

"Says he has something for you," Bodhan said quietly.

A gauntleted hand held out a key hanging from a chain. The man was otherwise silent. A cold tremor started in Hawke's face and spread like a wave throughout her body. She snatched it from him, and held it tightly in her palm.

"If you wish, I can demonstrate that it fits this lock," the visitor finally said, gesturing to the doorknob.

There was no need. She'd immediately recognized the chain and the few strands of dark blonde hair that were always getting caught in the clasp.

"How did you get this?" Hawke asked instead. Not where. How.

"It doesn't matter."

"I disagree." She was struggling to keep her anger calm and deadly rather than shrill and panicked. The key was making indentations in her hand.

"The important thing is that we obtained it," he said, almost gloating. "If you want to know anything more, come to the following address at nine-thirty tonight. Alone."

Hawke snatched the paper with her other hand and stuffed it into her pocket.

"How do I know you haven't..."

"For all you know, he's already dead. Or tranquil. Or both. But you'll show up, or you'll never know."

Bodahn had silently returned with her heavy greatsword, and in moments, it was at the man's throat.

"Give me one good reason to let you live." It was her housecoat against his armor, but he hadn't drawn his sword yet, and she was very angry.

"In thirty minutes, I'm due to check in." Moving only his eyes, he glanced at the setting sun. "If I leave now, I might get there before they...before it's too late."

"Why would I care about that if he's already dead or tranquil?"

"You're welcome to risk it."

In one swing, Hawke withdrew her sword from the man's neck and slammed him in the stomach with the flat of the blade. He flew backward, landed in the middle of the street, rolled a few times, then struggled to sit up, gasping for air. 

She slammed the door, screaming her frustration.


	2. Chapter 2

A gust of wind tugged at Anders' heavy cloak, and he grabbed at the hood before it could fall away from his face. The dark streets seemed empty, but the farther away he was from the clinic, the more nervous he became, especially as he got closer to his destination. Up ahead, another cloaked figure was walking in the same direction. Anders watched carefully, and a few paces away, he quietly muttered, 

"An ominous night tonight."

"Not by Kirkwall standards," came the correct reply. 

He recognized the voice as Lirene's, and the two rebel mages shook hands. A few blocks later, they reached the safehouse, repeated the code phrase to the lookout, and went inside. Most of the others were already there, and Anders couldn't help but sigh. It had been a long, tiring day at the clinic, and judging by the tone of conversation, few people were in the mood for efficient, focused discussion that evening. He yawned. Warden stamina only went so far.

The meeting hadn't even started when Geoff, the mage closest to the door made a frantic hand signal, and everyone went on alert, alternatively grabbing for staves and hiding staves, pulling up hoods, and hiding documents. Then the door shook as if someone had just kicked it. The wood groaned and splintered. Another blow sent it flying off its hinges, and an armored figure strode into the room, a greatsword slung across her back.

(Marian??)

She looked confused for an instant but recovered quickly, grabbing the nearest person in the room (Geoff) and holding her sword to his neck.

"Nobody move!" she shouted. 

"Hawke, wait!" Anders threw back his hood. "What's going on?"

"Anders!" she breathed, staggering slightly at the sight of him, relief sweeping across her face. "Get over here! Hurry." First relief, now concern, and a purposeful anger over everything. Something was clearly wrong.

He was getting to his feet when Lirene reached to stop him.

"Wait..."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Marian shouted, pressing the sword tighter against her captive's neck. Geoff shouted in fear and pain.

Anders hurried to her side, and she threw her left arm around him, pulling him close, but she didn't lower her sword, and her eyes didn't leave the other mages. 

"Hawke," he pleaded "It's okay. This is the mage underground. We're having a meeting tonight."

(There were outraged cries of, "Shussh!" and "You can't just SAY stuff like that!")

"If this is really the mage underground," Marian interrupted them, "then why did a TEMPLAR give me Anders' key just a few hours ago...and tell me he might be dead or tranquil at that very moment?" She held Anders tighter, still watching the mages suspiciously and still not letting Geoff go.

"My key? ....WHAT?" Anders was stunned. He briefly rested his forehead on Marian's shoulder, then shifted under her arm and reached a hand down the front of his shirt.

Deran, one of the mages that not-so-secretly held a leadership position alongside Anders, was either stammering an explanation or being difficult on purpose. Anders was too busy searching for the key to pay attention. It wasn't against his chest. He couldn't find the chain anywhere against his neck or upper back. Geoff was asking about Arra now. (The lookout posted outside.) Marian responded that she'd only knocked her out. Anders checked a few pockets in desperation, but eventually had to admit to himself that it was gone.

"What happened to my key?" he exclaimed.

"Telekenisis when you were busy with the stab victim this morning," Deran said offhand. "You really should be more alert for that sort of thing. Not all mages are on our side."

"And the Templar?," Marian asked through gritted teeth. "It was you, wasn't it?"

Deran kicked at a trunk in the corner of the room, and it rattled.

"Templar armor is always a handy thing to have lying around."

Anders could feel Marian quivering the way she did whenever she was about to lose her temper. He turned to Deran.

"So that's why you came to my clinic with three broken ribs this evening!" Anders snorted. "Tripped and fell was it? I hope she hit you hard."

"You have until my backup gets here" (Marian spoke slowly, struggling to keep her voice even) "to explain EXACTLY why you did it."

"Uh Hawke, your backup's...already here," Merril said sheepishly, pulling her hood back and standing up.

In any other situation, the look on Marian's face would have been priceless.

"Anders invited me to the meeting tonight," Merril explained quickly. "When you told me about the templars, I thought I would have to miss it, but then I saw that the addresses were the same, so I just came here. I think it was some sort of test."

"She failed anyway," Deran shrugged.

"Can I...go now?" Geoff asked nervously.

Marian shoved him forward, and finally sheathed her sword, narrowly missing the low ceiling. "Failed?" she asked, half-smirking, half-grimacing. "I think I did pretty well for myself."

Anders gritted his teeth, starting to realize the full implications of what Deran was doing. "I told you not to get Hawke involved in the cause!" he shouted to Deran.

"Hold on...why not?" She turned to Anders now.

"The correct action was to stay away," Deran explained. "Leave a note for the mage underground in the clinic maybe, but the templars are not to be trusted. The life of one mage isn't worth walking straight into an obvious trap--or worse."

"That's preposterous!" Marian exclaimed.

Anders tried to look away, but it was too late.

"No..." she half-whispered, seeing the look on his face.

"It's true," he said sadly. "I would give up my life for the cause....which is why I can't get you involved. I'd be expected to sacrifice you too. I should be prepared to do it. Justice would try to make me. But I couldn't.

Marian was unreadable. "I'm glad I failed then," she said flatly, reaching under her armor to reveal the key around her neck. "I'm not sacrificing either of us to calculated greater goods." She pulled the chain over her own head and pressed the key into Anders' hand. Then she turned to Deran and the others. "But if anything ever happens, you'd better send me after him. I'm not getting involved in your organization, so my life shouldn't matter to you anymore, right?"

Deran shrugged. "Correct."

This was getting out of hand. First, Anders turned to face Marian, put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her softly on the forehead while whispering, "Your life matters to ME."

Then Anders turned to Deran. "I know what you're thinking," he accused, "but I won't let you exploit Hawke as an Angel of Death up your sleeve while you send me on suicide missions."

Anders finally looked at the other mages. Most had been simply staring silently at either Marian, Deran, or himself for the past several minutes, and now they were all staring silently at him. He sighed. "Can we please just get on with the meeting now?"

"Not with confirmed non-members in the room," Lirene said, looking at Marian.

Merrill quickly stood up. "I'm a confirmed non-member too! Let's get out of here, Hawke!"

Anders and Marian shared a long, meaningful look as she let Merrill drag her outside, two small hands firmly gripping a heavy gauntlet.


End file.
